Where’s Waldo?

The impetus behind making this dessert was simple: My college roommate (and not to mention one of my best friends) Aaron Wildavsky, who is moving to Israel tomorrow, invited me over for his second-to-last Shabbat in the States. I knew I had to make something that wasn’t just good, but that was inspired by Aaron’s tastes. Additionally, the dessert had to be parve. After taking all this into account, I planned on making mini bananas foster pudding pies. However, only after beginning to make this dessert did I see the notice on the side of the banana pudding powder box warning that the pudding would not set if made with a milk substitute… whoops! So, after that near-disaster and the subsequent adjustments I had to make, this dessert didn’t exactly end up being inspired by Aaron’s favorites. However, the comedy of errors and lack of planning that plagued this dessert, and the serendipitous way that it all worked out are most definitely befitting of Aaron’s lifestyle and personality.

Ingredients:

9 graham crackers

3/4 cups margarine

Almond milk

Caramel chips

Semisweet chocolate

10 oreos

1/2 package of Jell-O® banana pudding powder

Directions:

Place 12 muffin liners into muffin tins. Grease the muffin liners.

Crush the graham crackers in a ziploc bag.

Melt the margarine in the microwave. Mix the melted margarine into the graham cracker powder, making sure to distribute it evenly.

Press the graham cracker crust into the muffin liners.

Remove 5 cookie-halves from the 10 oreos, break them into small pieces, and set them aside.

Crush the rest of the oreos (5 full cookies, 5 cookies with just one cookie and cream) in a ziploc bag.

Add caramel chips, semisweet chocolate, and some almond milk to a glass bowl. Microwave (until reaching the desired consistency) to make a chocolate sauce.

Fill each graham cup with this mixture and top with the remaining oreo cookie pieces.

Why this recipe is good for college students: The fact that this is a mini-pie means that each serving can just be taken instead of cut from a larger whole, making it perfect for gatherings of all sorts. Additionally, the graham crackers and oreos that are still left over in their respective packages after making this dessert are perfect for snacking anytime!

Why this recipe is good for those who keep Kosher: Since this dessert is parve, it can be enjoyed after any meal.

What I would do differently if I made this recipe again

Clearly, if this recipe is going to be parve, pudding is not the way to go. Additionally, using the pudding powder to provide banana flavor resulted in a slightly off-putting artificial banana flavor which overpowered the rest of the flavors. To solve this problem, I would’ve ditched the oreos and just mixed the chocolate-caramel sauce with mashed bananas. The hope is that this would result in a smoother banana flavor, as well as the puddingy texture that I was aiming for all along.